Not Too Pretty: Phthalates, Beauty Products and the FDA

More about Phthalates

Not Too Pretty: Phthalates, Beauty Products and the FDA

Five percent of the 20 to 40 year old women tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are getting up to 45 times more phthalates (pronounced tha-lates) than previous daily intake estimates and they are at levels of concern. While the CDC found evidence of phthalates in virtually every one of the cross-section of Americans tested, evidence of the highest levels of exposure to the phthalate DBP (dibutyl phthalate) were found in women of childbearing age.

What are phthalates?
Phthalates are a family of industrial chemicals that are used as a plastic softeners or solvents in many different consumer products. They can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled as fumes, ingested when they contaminate food or when children bite or suck on toys, and are inadvertently but directly administered to patients from some PVC (polyvinyl chloride or vinyl) medical devices.

Phthalates are dangerous.
Hundreds of animal studies have demonstrated that phthalates can damage the liver, the kidneys, the lungs and the reproductive system, especially the developing testes. Some patients who receive treatment using PVC medical devices softened with phthalates have developed the same health problems that animal studies show come from exposure to these chemicals. Other health problems seen in animal studies have never been looked for in people. But scientists in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada and the National Institutes of Health's Toxicology Program agree that animal studies predict that phthalates can be dangerous to humans.

Where are these phthalates coming from?
Why do women between the age of 20 to 40 years have higher levels of dibutyl-phthalate (DBP) in their bodies than anyone else? We don't know for sure, but government databases state that DBP is used in cosmetics, toys, flooring, adhesives, wallpaper, furniture, raincoats and shower curtains. So cosmetics and other personal care products seem the most likely reason that women would be more exposed than anyone else. While more than 5,000 beauty and personal care products for women can be found on a drug store website, phthalates are only listed as an ingredient on some nail polishes. Could nail polish be the only source?

To answer that question, Health Care Without Harm, the Environmental Working Group and Coming Clean recently released "Not Too Pretty," a report that outlines the harmful effects of aggregate exposure to phthalates and discusses human exposures. [link to the report] The report tested popular fragrances, hair sprays and deodorants purchased from four drug stores. To see which brands were tested and which ones tested positively for phthalates click [here].

The testing done for Not Too Pretty covers less than one percent of the beauty products sold in drug and discount stores across the United States. But it appears to be the most comprehensive phthalate testing ever made available to American consumers. Because the FDA has not mandated and enforced a strict labeling requirement, we cannot know if there are 5 or 50 or 500 more beauty products that contain unlabeled quantities of phthalates.

These exposures to phthalates are unnecessary because alternatives are available. For virtually every single product that contains phthalates there are phthalate-free products on the market that perform just as well. The limited testing done for Not Too Pretty revealed that the same big companies that produce phthalate-laden beauty products also make products free of phthalates.

What can you do?
We can't protect ourselves unless we get manufacturers and the government to change. The FDA and the cosmetic industry need to stop living in a make-believe world where people are exposed to single chemicals, one at a time. We need public policies that recognize how, in the real world, exposures from many products are adding up. Cosmetic, food-containing and medical products that contain phthalates must be labeled and manufacturers should publicly pledge to voluntarily remove phthalates as quickly as they can.

Let your voice be heard by the FDA and manufacturers.
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